"Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple's superior hardware, now that we use Intel processors," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said in a statement. "We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch."

Apple didn't specifically mention plans to support running Vista, the long-delayed update to the Windows operating system now expected early next year.

Microsoft wouldn't comment on whether the Apple software will work with Vista. The company issued a statement Wednesday afternoon: "We?re pleased that Apple customers are excited about running (Windows), and that Apple is responding to meet the demand," said Kevin Kutz, director of Microsoft Windows Client.

Also unclear is what the Mac maker's move will mean for sales of Windows-based PCs. Market researcher IDC has already scaled back PC sales forecasts for the year, due in part to the Vista delay. And some analysts expect
Apple sales to rise as a result of the holdup of the new operating system's release.

With Boot Camp, Intel-based Mac users can choose between running Mac OS or Windows XP each time they boot their system.

The move in this direction began last June, when Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that Apple was shifting to Intel-based computers. Apple also said it had been developing Mac OS X with the intention that it would be able to run on Intel chips and IBM's PowerPC chips, which were previously the sole processors used in Macs.

In January, Apple released the first Intel-based Macs with Intel's Duo dual-core chips. The new computers run two to three times faster than similar Macs with PowerPC chips, Apple said. Since then, speculation had grown about whether the company would enable Microsoft's ubiquitous operating system to run natively on its computers.

While Apple has prohibited people from running Mac OS X on anything other than its own computers, it has never tried to prevent Mac owners from trying to run Windows on their machines. Still, the company has not been a large supporter of the idea. That's something Apple Senior Software Architect Cameron Esfahani made clear at the Intel Developer Forum in March.

Customers, however, have been clamoring to see it happen. There have even been XP-on-Mac contests in recent weeks.

"This solves a lot of potential holdups to Macintosh adoption. While a group of programmers already has demonstrated that this is entirely possible to do, that method for deployment is more of a clever hack that no sane end user would attempt," JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg wrote in a blog posting Wednesday.

"Overall, (this is) a nice tactical move by Apple that will make their platforms and systems much more attractive," Gartenberg wrote.

Mac fans might remember that this isn't the first time that Apple has supported Windows via a dual-boot option. In the mid 1990s, the company introduced--and soon discontinued--Macintosh models that supported a plug-in card, which included a separate x86 processor for running both DOS and Windows.

Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it&#8217;ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes."

Here's another shot at Windows for Apple's website:

"EFI and BIOS

Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries."

It's plain to see that Apple hasn't fallen in love with Windows. I think it's simply about selling more Macs and getting more Windows users to make the switch. Good move by Apple. I like it.

Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it&#8217;ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes."

Here's another shot at Windows for Apple's website:

"EFI and BIOS

Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries."

It's plain to see that Apple hasn't fallen in love with Windows. I think it's simply about selling more Macs and getting more Windows users to make the switch. Good move by Apple. I like it.

It's finally happened! Two operating systems on one kick ass platform. This is going to be huge!!!

If Boot Camp (like the name btw) is going to be released as part of Leopard, which I recall is going to be realased around the same time as Vista originally was (ie this year) I'm assuming that it will be able to run Vista as well? I mean who wants to use XP when Vista becomes available (assuming of course it is better and does actually get released at this rate!!!).

Also, breaking news just in...yep we are getting confirmed reports that Hell has indeed frozen over!!

It's finally happened! Two operating systems on one kick ass platform. This is going to be huge!!!

If Boot Camp (like the name btw) is going to be released as part of Leopard, which I recall is going to be realased around the same time as Vista originally was (ie this year) I'm assuming that it will be able to run Vista as well? I mean who wants to use XP when Vista becomes available (assuming of course it is better and does actually get released at this rate!!!).

Also, breaking news just in...yep we are getting confirmed reports that Hell has indeed frozen over!!

As of today, I see no reason, barring cost, not to buy a Mac. You're getting the stability and power of Mac OS X and, really, the ubiquity of Windows. Apple's even managed to write all the drivers so everything your Mac computer has, even the eject key, work on Windows.

That would be a HUGE reason for the majority of home PC users. This isn't going to make anyone switch to the Apple hardware unless XP was installed at purchase and the price was comparable to a straight XP machine (ie OSX for free to boost hardware sales).

Mom and Pop purchaser out there is attracted to price not gee whiz I can boot two different OS.

So, although I think this is great for the geeks among us, its going to have little impact due to cost issues for the majority of people that just want a basic PC to get on the net etc etc.

As of today, I see no reason, barring cost, for me not to buy a 140ft yacht and sail to Tahiti.

Truth is, if one's not already a Mac luva, there's no reason to spend all that extra money for the computer and TWO operating systems when you can get a Windows machine for less. Yeah, so the mac has an eject button. Yippie. Thats not justifying to me the extra cost. My $800 clone-of-the-week can use virtually any part off the shelf if I need to fix it.

As of today, I see no reason, barring cost, not to buy a Mac. You're getting the stability and power of Mac OS X and, really, the ubiquity of Windows. Apple's even managed to write all the drivers so everything your Mac computer has, even the eject key, work on Windows.

That would be a HUGE reason for the majority of home PC users. This isn't going to make anyone switch to the Apple hardware unless XP was installed at purchase and the price was comparable to a straight XP machine (ie OSX for free to boost hardware sales).

Mom and Pop purchaser out there is attracted to price not gee whiz I can boot two different OS.

So, although I think this is great for the geeks among us, its going to have little impact due to cost issues for the majority of people that just want a basic PC to get on the net etc etc.

As of today, I see no reason, barring cost, for me not to buy a 140ft yacht and sail to Tahiti.

Truth is, if one's not already a Mac luva, there's no reason to spend all that extra money for the computer and TWO operating systems when you can get a Windows machine for less. Yeah, so the mac has an eject button. Yippie. Thats not justifying to me the extra cost. My $800 clone-of-the-week can use virtually any part off the shelf if I need to fix it.

After years of having two computers to be creative and business like now we will have both one one machine. And so ends the mac vs. pc debate "have your cake and eat it"then go get antivirus for mac, what! a new business venture you heard it here first!!

After years of having two computers to be creative and business like now we will have both one one machine. And so ends the mac vs. pc debate "have your cake and eat it"then go get antivirus for mac, what! a new business venture you heard it here first!!

Even I, a computer agnostic, get so tired of Apple's marketing crap. I'm sure most of it is directed at Mac fans who will just eat it up without consideration, but the constant flow of self-congratulatory statements and likewise insults to everyone gets very old.

Saying Apple's hardware is superior is like Chrysler claiming the Pacifica is superior. Sure, it's a fine car (I guess) and it is truly superior to other cars ... but NOT ALL CARS.

In the end, though, hardware is hardware. You're getting a far better deal here not because the hardware is better, or even cheaper, but because you are buying the ability to run two vastly different operating systems at once. If there's an attack on your PC side, just switch back to the Mac and rescue your files. If there's a PC game you really want to play, it's not a problem. You can switch back to your Mac once you're done.

Most people aren't concerned enough about the hardware specs to notice that difference (it's pretty small in the end anyway). The Mac has become the final solution for a computer.

I've been playing around for a couple of days w/ my new Toshiba Qosmio laptop, one of the better reviewed PC laptop lines out there (a flagship model w/ an excellent screen and Media Center 2005 support A/V hardware). There's no comparison between it and my PowerBook, however, when it comes to total look/feel/materials and attention to detail per dollar spent...it's the qualitative difference between a Jeep Wrangler and a Lexus RX330, and I paid roughly the same price for the two. It's not hype, it's not imagined...I've experienced it. Have you sat down w/ a Mac and really worked one over--if so, you'd know they build great hardware.

I truly didn't understand what the real tangible difference was until having them both side-by-side these last few days.

I don't recall anyone saying the hardware is superior to ALL PCs, but considering all the low-end PCs sold it's quite likely a new Mac is superior to the majority of PCs out there. You can definitely buy/build a better system, but you will pay a lot more. More than an equivalent Mac? I don't know.

Maybe you missed this article...the Mac bested the windows machines running windows by nearly 40 seconds in the PHotoshop test...yes this is only one test, but it goes to prove the point that it is superior hardware and not a chrysler pacifica...maybe you can explain how the mac ran faster if all pcs are the same

Maybe you missed this article...the Mac bested the windows machines running windows by nearly 40 seconds in the PHotoshop test...yes this is only one test, but it goes to prove the point that it is superior hardware and not a chrysler pacifica...maybe you can explain how the mac ran faster if all pcs are the same

And I am a computer agnostic as well, I am writing this on an HP laptop right now...running windows XP pro...though I would rather run it on my mac at home as I have had more issues with XP then OS X, and don't go telling me I don't know how to manage my XP systems. I do this for a living

Even I, a computer agnostic, get so tired of Apple's marketing crap. I'm sure most of it is directed at Mac fans who will just eat it up without consideration, but the constant flow of self-congratulatory statements and likewise insults to everyone gets very old.

Saying Apple's hardware is superior is like Chrysler claiming the Pacifica is superior. Sure, it's a fine car (I guess) and it is truly superior to other cars ... but NOT ALL CARS.

In the end, though, hardware is hardware. You're getting a far better deal here not because the hardware is better, or even cheaper, but because you are buying the ability to run two vastly different operating systems at once. If there's an attack on your PC side, just switch back to the Mac and rescue your files. If there's a PC game you really want to play, it's not a problem. You can switch back to your Mac once you're done.

Most people aren't concerned enough about the hardware specs to notice that difference (it's pretty small in the end anyway). The Mac has become the final solution for a computer.

I've been playing around for a couple of days w/ my new Toshiba Qosmio laptop, one of the better reviewed PC laptop lines out there (a flagship model w/ an excellent screen and Media Center 2005 support A/V hardware). There's no comparison between it and my PowerBook, however, when it comes to total look/feel/materials and attention to detail per dollar spent...it's the qualitative difference between a Jeep Wrangler and a Lexus RX330, and I paid roughly the same price for the two. It's not hype, it's not imagined...I've experienced it. Have you sat down w/ a Mac and really worked one over--if so, you'd know they build great hardware.

I truly didn't understand what the real tangible difference was until having them both side-by-side these last few days.

I don't recall anyone saying the hardware is superior to ALL PCs, but considering all the low-end PCs sold it's quite likely a new Mac is superior to the majority of PCs out there. You can definitely buy/build a better system, but you will pay a lot more. More than an equivalent Mac? I don't know.

Maybe you missed this article...the Mac bested the windows machines running windows by nearly 40 seconds in the PHotoshop test...yes this is only one test, but it goes to prove the point that it is superior hardware and not a chrysler pacifica...maybe you can explain how the mac ran faster if all pcs are the same

Maybe you missed this article...the Mac bested the windows machines running windows by nearly 40 seconds in the PHotoshop test...yes this is only one test, but it goes to prove the point that it is superior hardware and not a chrysler pacifica...maybe you can explain how the mac ran faster if all pcs are the same

And I am a computer agnostic as well, I am writing this on an HP laptop right now...running windows XP pro...though I would rather run it on my mac at home as I have had more issues with XP then OS X, and don't go telling me I don't know how to manage my XP systems. I do this for a living

They are meaningless, and anyone who truly knows computers knows that speed numbers are extremely misleading.

Stability, heat, and many other issues are more important then speed. My old AMD 2500 custom built rig can easily outperform Intel processors with comparable equipment up to 3 GHz and my rig run at ~1.9 GHz. And it does it at far cooler tempertures, using stock fat/heatsink.

The fact is that the numbers may appear to be in favor of PC's, but the hardware on a Mac runs smoother and more efficiently. That is why it is better hardware.

This is leaving out the solid argument that all processor designs are poor.

They are meaningless, and anyone who truly knows computers knows that speed numbers are extremely misleading.

Stability, heat, and many other issues are more important then speed. My old AMD 2500 custom built rig can easily outperform Intel processors with comparable equipment up to 3 GHz and my rig run at ~1.9 GHz. And it does it at far cooler tempertures, using stock fat/heatsink.

The fact is that the numbers may appear to be in favor of PC's, but the hardware on a Mac runs smoother and more efficiently. That is why it is better hardware.

This is leaving out the solid argument that all processor designs are poor.

If Apple consider itself so greatly better than anything else in the universe, what is the needs to get their hands (and products) dirty with a full install of Windows? It's like a BMW saying: "you are driving the finest cars of ours. But just in case you can run old, obsolete, Chevy engines in it now". Nothing wrong with it, really, I understand the purpose of making their machines more attractive to windows users. But that's where the problem is. Macs and MacOSX, per se, are not enough to lure windows users, which will keep buying cheap boxes, with Windows in it. The rest of the "we are great, we are god" kind of Apple's attitude starts to be a bit tiring. Apple is just another PC maker, one of the many. It's not the holy grail. If it were, they wouldn't need windows to show it.

there are plenty of people (like myself) who can afford a Mac but want to run specific programs that are only available on Windows. If enough of those people start buying Mac versions of software, there will be more incentive to make a Mac version for any new release. Eventually, we may not need the Windows boot at all, except maybe to run older games etc.

If you actually tried maybe using a Mac for more than a week and nothing else you'll see why Mac OS X is a good operating system next to the default standard which is Windows XP.

And for that matter see why Apple is considered the BMW of the Computer Industry (which I have no arguments with, because Macs are just phenomenally cool looking computers). Any reasonable person would agree.

But by having Windows on the Mac, its not only there to help consumers decide which is a better Operating system but its also there to give them a choice. Which PC manufacturers haven't provided in this Industry which stifles innovation and hurts consumers. Apple has, and is using Mac OS X as its advantage by providing another alternative to the standard which is Windows.

Windows has been the standard for atleast 10 years.

You can't convince the sheep the grass is greener on the other side in a day you have to move the herd slowly. And thats what Apple is doing by giving what other PC Manufacturers can't. Choice.

Also I don't see how Apple at all portrays themselves as them "being gods or being great" they just make great software and great hardware and if they do show an ounce of bravado, wouldn't you think its well deserved? They've been working their ***** off and it shows in their products. Can any company in this industry boast such achievements? Not likely (I can bash Microsoft right now but I'm tired)

But I think you have been schooled in the MS camp for so long you can't tell that Microsoft has dominated your choice to choose.

If Apple consider itself so greatly better than anything else in the universe, what is the needs to get their hands (and products) dirty with a full install of Windows? It's like a BMW saying: "you are driving the finest cars of ours. But just in case you can run old, obsolete, Chevy engines in it now". Nothing wrong with it, really, I understand the purpose of making their machines more attractive to windows users. But that's where the problem is. Macs and MacOSX, per se, are not enough to lure windows users, which will keep buying cheap boxes, with Windows in it. The rest of the "we are great, we are god" kind of Apple's attitude starts to be a bit tiring. Apple is just another PC maker, one of the many. It's not the holy grail. If it were, they wouldn't need windows to show it.

there are plenty of people (like myself) who can afford a Mac but want to run specific programs that are only available on Windows. If enough of those people start buying Mac versions of software, there will be more incentive to make a Mac version for any new release. Eventually, we may not need the Windows boot at all, except maybe to run older games etc.

If you actually tried maybe using a Mac for more than a week and nothing else you'll see why Mac OS X is a good operating system next to the default standard which is Windows XP.

And for that matter see why Apple is considered the BMW of the Computer Industry (which I have no arguments with, because Macs are just phenomenally cool looking computers). Any reasonable person would agree.

But by having Windows on the Mac, its not only there to help consumers decide which is a better Operating system but its also there to give them a choice. Which PC manufacturers haven't provided in this Industry which stifles innovation and hurts consumers. Apple has, and is using Mac OS X as its advantage by providing another alternative to the standard which is Windows.

Windows has been the standard for atleast 10 years.

You can't convince the sheep the grass is greener on the other side in a day you have to move the herd slowly. And thats what Apple is doing by giving what other PC Manufacturers can't. Choice.

Also I don't see how Apple at all portrays themselves as them "being gods or being great" they just make great software and great hardware and if they do show an ounce of bravado, wouldn't you think its well deserved? They've been working their ***** off and it shows in their products. Can any company in this industry boast such achievements? Not likely (I can bash Microsoft right now but I'm tired)

But I think you have been schooled in the MS camp for so long you can't tell that Microsoft has dominated your choice to choose.

&gt; That little download is gonna sell a heck of a &gt; lot of Apple hardware!

That's a large leap. Why buy a Macintel just for the privlege of running Windows? More revolutionary would be for Apple to give users the ability to run Windows applications inside of OSX without having to dual boot or even use XP. But that won't happen because Apple has just become another PC maker. Goodbye innovation and choice. This latest news isn't innovative, and might be better news for Microsoft than it is for Apple.

&gt; That little download is gonna sell a heck of a &gt; lot of Apple hardware!

That's a large leap. Why buy a Macintel just for the privlege of running Windows? More revolutionary would be for Apple to give users the ability to run Windows applications inside of OSX without having to dual boot or even use XP. But that won't happen because Apple has just become another PC maker. Goodbye innovation and choice. This latest news isn't innovative, and might be better news for Microsoft than it is for Apple.

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